and the clock ticks on (erratically)
by rhead-a-holyc
Summary: Harry has a chronological illness. His anchor has always been Tom. He never realized he was Tom's anchor too. Character death. Loosely inspired by The Time Traveller's Wife


**Quidditch League: Finals Round 1**

 **Caerphilly Catapults – Beater 2: The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niggenegger**

 **Prompts:**

 **[song] Alone Sometimes – The Mowgli's**

 **[poem] Youth – James Wright**

* * *

"Harry?"

Harry startled and quickly hid himself behind the nearest bush. He couldn't believe the situation he was in: naked and in some random place that he didn't recognize.

A man approached him with a relieved smile. Harry didn't recognize the man, but the man seemed to be prepared for his arrival: a set of clothes were thrown at him a moment later. It didn't fit perfectly, but Harry was glad for it anyway.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, still wary from moving away from the shrubbery. "How do you know me?"

"I'm Tom." The man smiled, almost sadly. "I've known you almost my whole life."

Harry slowly stepped away from the bush. "What do you mean? Do you know how I got here?"

"Are you hungry? I think it would be easier for me to explain over food. I'm so glad you're back, Harry. I thought I would never see you again after…" Tom trailed off. "But you're here now. I never imagined _I_ would be the one to explain everything to you."

Harry nodded as his stomach rumbled.

* * *

"Leave him alone!" Harry yelled, tackling the closest boy and flailing his arms to hit another in the mouth. Harry thought he must have looked wild and ferocious to have the trio of older boys running away. Or maybe he just looked more insane with his nudity.

He had always hated bullies, though. Harry yelled after the boys, before turning to the slumped form of a boy that looked about his age.

"I didn't need help," the boy muttered in annoyance. His lip was split, and Harry thought he would probably have a black eye in a few hours. Despite the bleary glare and the cold tone, Harry recognized the younger form of the boy that had helped him.

"Tom?"

Tom's glare intensified.

"How do you know who I am? Did the matron send you? I don't need your help!"

Harry stumbled back as Tom's magic tried to push him away.

"I know you don't _need_ my help, but you're my friend. I'm going to help anyway. Besides, I need a set of clothes, if you know somewhere I can find some," Harry mumbled with slight embarrassment.

"Why are you naked anyway? Is that some kind of trend in the city? If it is, I've never heard of it."

Harry yelped. "I can't help it. I can't control my jumps. I can never take anything with me either!"

"Jumps?" Tom asked as he reluctantly shrugged out of his jumper and held it out to Harry.

"I have an… illness. I don't know how I got it or anything, but I jump backwards and forwards in time. Somehow, I always end up somewhere near you." Harry quickly slid into the jumper. Tom's questions met him on the other side.

Harry shrugged and answered as many of the questions as he could.

* * *

It became something like clockwork – Harry arrived, and Tom handed him a set of ill-fitting clothes. Harry rarely met Tom at a similar age to himself, but depending on Tom's age, Tom sometimes managed to charm the clothing to fit him a little better. This was one of those times, and Harry was offered the clothing almost immediately.

But…

Tom was different.

He was angrier. He didn't read or research as much as he used to. He wasn't curious. He didn't question everything. He didn't seem to care about much.

Harry didn't know what to think of his best friend who disappeared behind a locked door with a bunch of masked people. He didn't want to believe his eyes when he noticed the masked people trembling as they entered and left the room.

He didn't want to believe any of it, but Harry didn't like living in denial.

"You're a bully, aren't you?" Harry demanded. "You're just like one of the children who used to chase and hit us before!"

Harry saw Tom twitch and hoped he was getting through to him, because Harry didn't like what he was seeing at all.

"That was a long time ago, Harry. I've made sure that I will always be here for one of your jumps, no matter what. That's what is most important! You won't be alone for any of your jumps. Nothing will happen to you. You will be safe." Tom spoke through gritted teeth and a blank expression.

Harry snorted. "I understand you have your own life, one that I constantly interrupt with my jumps, but if you're just going to ignore me the entire time I'm here, I may as well be alone!"

"You don't understand! You're going to _die_ , Harry! You're going to die because I couldn't save you!" Tom roared. There was a tinge of insanity that scared Harry, but he soldiered on.

"I'm going to die eventually, Tom. There's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop that!"

Tom shook his head. "If I can stop you from dying prematurely, then I will."

* * *

"I got my Hogwarts letter!" Tom exclaimed in greeting. "I know you said I would definitely get it, but it's different now that I know for sure!"

"That's great, Tom! You're going to do brilliantly!" Harry exclaimed after putting on his borrowed clothing. This wasn't the Tom from before – the angry Tom that was trying his best to stop the inevitable. His annoyance wasn't with this Tom.

Harry had also learned to just go with whatever Tom mentioned him doing previously – he had also learned to stop making promises that he could never keep. The timelines really confused Harry.

Harry's body felt heavy with the need to rest. It had been happening more frequently. The exhaustion was catching up with him, and Harry didn't know what to do about it.

"Harry! Are you okay?" Tom's concerned face suddenly swam into focus, and Harry nodded.

"I'm just a bit tired. These jumps are getting more and more tiring," Harry explained.

"I'll go to Hogwarts and find a cure for your illness. Then you can stay with me permanently. I'll find a way to stop your jumps, Harry. I promise!"

The wind ruffled Tom's hair and Harry smiled at him, knowing that even the future Tom hadn't found the solution. He'd seemed to have given up already, and Harry hated that defeated expression.

"I'm sure you will, Tom. I'll be eagerly awaiting that jump!"

"You'd better. It'll be the best present for my best friend!"

* * *

"So, this is Hogwarts, huh?"

Tom's cloak was wrapped around Harry within moments. It wasn't too cold, something Harry was glad for since he was outside again. His chest felt like it was about to catch fire and his head pounded, but Tom helped support him until he could think through the pain.

"Did you never go?" Tom waved his friends away and led Harry along the path.

Harry shook his head, wincing. "I can't keep anything on me, remember? I did try to get a wand once. I have no idea where or when it was that I lost it. I didn't think even trying to go to Hogwarts would be a good idea after that. I did get the letter, though."

"You should have tried anyway. It's a magical school, and you have a rare magical illness. If they didn't find a way to accommodate you, I don't think Hogwarts would be able to remain one of the best schools in Europe."

Tom handed Harry the transfigured clothing when they were near the tree line and gave Harry some privacy to change as he kept watch.

"I suppose. It would have been strange walking into a different class every other day. I'm kind of glad I didn't, though, or I would have been running to class every time I arrived." Harry laughed. "It would have been traumatic."

"I always thought it would be nice to be in the same class as you, but I supposed you're right." Tom frowned. "I haven't found a cure to your solution yet. There's very little information on the illness too. I've been trying to look through the Malfoy and Black libraries, but they seem to guard those books like favoured children."

Tom rolled his eyes while Harry snorted.

"It's getting worse, isn't it? The magical exhaustion and the time between jumps?" Tom guided Harry to a sitting position under the tree.

"Yeah. I know I can't stop it, but I can't help but try every time. I don't know when the next jump will simply exhaust me to the point where I won't wake up."

"Don't talk like that. I _will_ find you a cure. You've already promised me that I haven't given up in the future. That just means I'm going to have to work harder than I originally thought."

Harry smiled tiredly. "Thank you, Tom."

It had been a white lie so many jumps ago, but maybe it would prevent the angry Tom from ever being created. He still remembered the regretful but kind Tom that had met him on his first jump.

* * *

Harry had never landed in such a destroyed room before. The rubble and debris scattered through the gaping wall on the far side of the room. He saw a tuft of black hair and was about to approach it when he heard the scream from somewhere upstairs.

He had a bad feeling about the situation, but Harry had never been able to ignore a cry of distress. As erratic as his magic was, he was sure there was something he could do. Otherwise, he knew Tom would find him soon.

But it was Tom that had his wand pointing at a child, barely a year old. The tip of Tom's wand began to glow as Harry stumbled into the room. It was Tom, too, that had caused the woman to scream.

"Tom, no!" Harry struggled against his exhaustion. He always rested immediately after time travelling, Tom usually forced him to, and forcing himself to rush up the stairs had drained most of his remaining energy. For once, his nakedness was the least of his worries and he slammed into Tom's side. The bright green curse was sent wildly into the wall.

"Stop this! Is this really what you've become? Killing children?"

"He's the one prophesized to defeat me! He's the one that will take me away from you!" Tom's wand arm rose quickly and fired off the Killing Curse before Harry had time to react.

Harry caught sight of the red hair and glassy green eyes of the woman that lay near the cot. He remembered the messy black hair from the destroyed room he had woken in, and he knew exactly what would happen next.

The spell rebound, and Harry pushed Tom away just as the Killing Curse reached him. He caught sight of Tom's shocked expression before he was whisked away; the last dregs of his magic being depleted as his body was forced through time.

* * *

Tom felt it, the surge of magic that always indicated Harry's arrival. He dropped his book immediately and crossed his apartment. He searched every room on the way, not wanting to miss Harry, in case he was weak from the jumping.

He frowned at the continued silence: Harry was never this quiet, even when his time travelling took up the majority of his magic. Harry had always made sure to struggle into a sitting position before Tom reached him, even when Tom was able to see the pain line his expression.

Harry's expression was pained but frozen. There was acceptance and sadness and _silence_. Tom stumbled into the library, fingers scrambling to find a pulse – something, anything that meant that Harry could still be saved.

There was nothing.

Tom knew that Harry always ended up somewhere near him. He couldn't willingly control it, but Harry had never mentioned ending up anywhere else. Tom had always been the first one to find him. It was his fault, then, that Harry's body was still and cooling. He didn't know when and he didn't know how, but it was because he was too weak to save Harry.

"I'll get more powerful," Tom promised, through blurry eyes. "I'll save you."


End file.
